The present invention relates to polymers and more particularly relates to the use of fillers, colorants, UV stabilizers, or reinforcement agents in polymers.
Generally, many articles formed from polymers, such as plastics, contain reinforcement agents, fillers, and/or colorants. Generally, such agents, fillers, and colorants like carbon black, are incorporated into the polymers with the use of masterbatches. The masterbatches are used because the direct addition of reinforcement agents, fillers, and colorants like carbon black, may not adequately disperse amongst the polymer which would then result in a less than desirable polymer product. Masterbatches are used as a means to incorporate the reinforcement agent, filler, or colorant, like carbon black, into a polymer. These conventional masterbatches therefore serve as an intermediate step to the ultimate introduction of reinforcement agents, fillers, and colorants into a polymer.
It would be desirable to polymer manufacturers if agents like carbon black could be directly incorporated into the polymer at the same time that the polymers are being formed or at the time when polymers are being formed into a desired article; thus avoiding the need for conventional masterbatches.
A feature of the present invention is to provide UV stabilizers, reinforcement agents, fillers, and/or colorants like carbon products, such as carbon black, which can be directly incorporated into polymers.
Another feature of the present invention is to provide carbon products which are capable of being dispersed in polymer products to a better degree than conventional carbon products like carbon black.
An additional feature of the present invention is to provide masterbatches which contain higher levels of carbon product, like carbon black, than conventional masterbatches.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the present invention.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the present invention relates to a polymer product comprising a polymer and a modified carbon product dispersed therein. The modified carbon product comprises a carbon product having attached at least one organic group, monomeric group and/or polymeric group.
The present invention further relates to a polymeric product comprising a polymer and a modified carbon product dispersed therein, wherein the modified carbon product comprises a carbon product having attached at least one group having the formula: xe2x80x94Arxe2x80x94CO2xe2x80x94R or CnH2nCO2xe2x80x94R, where R is an organic group, a monomeric group, or a polymeric group, and n is preferably an integer of from 1 to 12.
In addition, the present invention relates to a modified carbon product comprising a) a carbon product having attached at least one organic group directly attached to the carbon product, b) at least one ionic group, ionizable group, or a mixture thereof attached to said organic group, and c) at least one counter-ionic group with at least one organic group, monomeric group, or polymeric group, or counter-ionizable group with at least one organic group, monomeric group, or polymeric group, or a mixture thereof, wherein the counter-ionic or counter-ionizable group is attached to the ionic and/or ionizable group.
The present invention also relates to polymeric products containing a polymer and one or more of the modified carbon products described immediately above.
The present invention also relates to the modified carbon products used above in the polymeric products.
The present invention further relates to a method of improving the dispersion of carbon products in polymeric products using one or more of the modified carbon products of the present invention.
Also, the present invention relates to masterbatches comprising one or more polymers and one or more modified carbon products of the present invention.
It is to be understood that both the forgoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are intended to provide further explanation of the present invention, as claimed.